BERWYN, Pa.– Amring Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Amring), a subsidiary of Nordic Group B.V. (Nordic Pharma), announced today that preeminent ophthalmologist Eric D. Donnenfeld, MD will Chair its U.S. Medical Advisory Board (MAB) which includes Richard Lindstrom, MD (Minnesota), Vance Thompson, MD (South Dakota), Preeya Gupta, MD (North Carolina), Paul Karpecki, OD (Kentucky), Lisa Nijm, MD, JD (Illinois), and Selina McGee, OD (Oklahoma).
Dr. Donnenfeld joins the MAB as Nordic Pharma prepares to launch a novel therapy for Dry Eye Disease, LACRIFILL® canalicular gel. The FDA-cleared hyaluronic acid derivative LACRIFILL is intended to temporarily block tear drainage by the occlusion of the canalicular system.
“Nordic Pharma continues to build a world class group of key opinion leaders with Eric agreeing to lead our esteemed MAB in the U.S. as we prepare to bring LACRIFILL to market. With over 30 years of clinical experience as an internationally recognized expert and pioneer in refractive, cornea and cataract surgery he brings invaluable insights for developing physician led strategies, enhancing the patient experience and phase IV study initiatives,” said Philip Gioia, President of the U.S. team that will launch LACRIFILL under the Nordic Pharma brand. “As one of the leading refractive and cataract surgeons in the United States he shares Nordic Pharma’s commitment to making a sustainable impact on the health of people with dry eye disease.”
“I have been fortunate to work closely with Eric over the last 20 years. He is an outstanding clinician and surgeon with a pulse on new technology,” said Jai G. Parekh, MD, MBA, Chief Commercial Officer of Nordic Pharma Eye Care U.S. “Eric is responsible for many of the most successful launches in eye care and our team looks forward to collaborating with him. He will be instrumental in guiding us during LACRIFILL’s introduction to eye care providers and patients.”
“I’m excited to be part of the LACRIFILL launch as this technology is disruptive and will change the way we practice ophthalmology and optometry,” said Dr. Donnenfeld. “It’s an honor to be working with Nordic Pharma’s leadership and our highly respected Medical Advisory Board to bring this novel dry eye disease therapy to ophthalmologists and optometrists across the U.S. and then around the world.”
In addition to Dr. Donnenfeld’s appointment, Nordic Pharma has proudly accepted an invitation to join the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS) and will have a significant presence at the AECOS Winter Symposium this week. Dr. Vance Thompson will be sharing benefits of LACRIFILL with physicians and leaders in ophthalmology. Select pre-order opportunities will also be discussed. Dr. Thompson will also be presenting the Dry Eye Disease Update session.
Dr. Donnenfeld is the founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and Ophthalmic Consultants of Connecticut. He has authored more than 210 papers on the cornea, external disease, cataracts, and refractive surgery, 500 scientific articles, and 50 books and book chapters on a range of subjects pertaining to corneal transplants, cataract care, and laser vision correction.
Dr. Donnenfeld is on the editorial board of nine journals and has participated in over 40 FDA studies. He is one of the first 5 people in the world to perform both laser vision correction and laser cataract surgery. Dr. Donnenfeld is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and has received its Honor Award, Senior Honor Award, Life Achievement Honor Award, and Secretariat Award. He is past President of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, President-elect of the International Intraocular Implant Society, and Editor in Chief of EyeWorld. He was named #1 on Newsweek’s America’s Best Eye Doctors list in 2022 and 2021. In addition, Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today recognized Dr. Donnenfeld as one of the Top 50 Most Influential Ophthalmologists in the United States; The Ophthalmologist named Dr. Donnenfeld to their Power List in 2022, 2020 and 2018; and he was also selected as Ophthalmology Management’s 25 Leaders in Innovation.
